In 2015, I worked at a start-up in London. The tech scene there skewed male, and there wasn’t exactly a shortage of passive-aggressive sexist encounters. One day, the only other woman I worked with sent me an article about eliminating the word ‘just’ from your vocabulary.
And I did. I suddenly felt self-conscious about how I wrote at work, when I didn’t before. Not that I couldn’t write, I got my MA in English Literature not long before. But, it couldn’t hurt?
It grew from that initial viral post and was oft-repeated advice for young professional women. (2025 edit: I had a link to Byrdie here, but they have removed this.) A quick search online shows people are still writing about removing just from your vocabulary, and how this change will make you more assertive at work. Read: men will suddenly listen to your lady words now that you’ve seamlessly blended into the masculine world.
It seemed like innocent enough advice.
But, I’m admittedly a little skeptical of business advice, and definitely skeptical of authority. In these articles, more often than not nuance and context of the word is stripped. There’s even plain hatred of the word. (Remember when everyone decided they collectively hated the word ‘moist’ and would squirm in their seats in disgust? It reminds me of that.)
I sent a memo to my work teammates about the “J” word and suggested a moratorium on using it. We talked about what it seemed to imply — everyone agreed — and how different that message was from the way we saw ourselves: trusted advisers, true partners, win-win champions of customer success.
‘J’ word. Ugh.
But it seemed to work. Just took a dip.
LinkedIn, that sad place, where often productivity is next to godliness, and creativity means viral money-making. I apologize for being catty, but this is the first hit on Google. There’s a lack of nuance here.
I dislike it so much, for all I care you could strike it from the English language. This sentiment has been with me for decades and I used to call people out when they left me voicemail messages that said “Hi, it’s just me!”. What does that say about yourself? Just you? Like there are more important people I should talk to, your friendship or phone call is worth less than someone else’s?
David Niebach
It’s like when people say ‘Don’t say sorry!’. We all speak in different ways, in different dialects. Language is personal, I swear every couple has their own. Maybe what they’re communicating is not the same as the assumption. Sorry can be used to show sympathy, not just apologizing for one’s actions.
Just isn’t inherently unconfident or apologetic. I don’t think this person is diminishing themselves, and it’s weird to assume that when it’s a perfectly normal part of communication, but David sure is policing their speech. Telling someone how to speak when the “infraction” is small and the communication is still clear seems goofy at best.
There is something disturbing about wanting to strike a word from the language to me, at least one that is pretty innocuous. One, the power structure never has to change. I haven’t seen ‘listen extra when people use the word just, they may be imparting some wisdom but are aware there could be repercussions’. Or maybe they’re attempting to bring a bit of casualness into the conversation. If someone called me back, berating my use of ‘It’s just me’ as an introduction, that would strike me as so fucking weird. Two, there’s an unsaid promise that you’ll be taken more seriously, be more serious. Successful even. And three, maybe you’re wrong and weak and should feel a little bad about your speech patterns since they don’t appeal to, well, whoever. But you can guess.
I don’t think someone using a common word makes their import any lesser value. Just (see, it’s a great comparison word) like how what you wear, where you’re from, etc., shouldn’t. There are so many versions of strength that don’t fall into this assertive extroverted structure.
Stop telling people that if they slightly adjust their language, they will be able to overcome systemic imbalances. Filler words are natural, and if someone is giving you slack for using them, maybe a filler ‘just fuck off’ might help them realize you actually are assertive.
Read More:
https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/filler-words-just/
https://debuk.wordpress.com/2015/07/05/just-dont-do-it/
